Miss Hannah

Thrive v.i. grow well; flourish, prosper. The characters in пїЅIпїЅm not scaredпїЅ are living, not thriving. TheyпїЅre all weak in different ways and their strength is dying slowly. All of the characters have an individual battle with weakness. Many of the characters appear to be strong but are really just helpless beings, existing in a place where the strength comes from violence and abuse. Often the truly strong characters are the innocent children, who are forced to grow up because of the adult irresponsibility that surrounds them and the burdens placed upon them by the people they trust.

Michele Amitrano is a young Italian boy, who is taken advantage of, mentally and emotionally, by the people he loves and trusts. He is bullied by the local children, especially Skull, a troubled boy that follows in the footsteps of his misfit brother Felice. Michele is betrayed by his father and faced with one of the hardest decisions he would ever have to make. Although Michele deals with his situation well, he is the most vulnerable character in the novel because his familyпїЅs shame is placed upon him. When MicheleпїЅs